


Finding the Edge

by Anonymous



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, M/M, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-08
Updated: 2019-01-08
Packaged: 2019-10-06 15:43:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17347958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Fives explores the space between his relationship with his General and his relationship with his General's wife.





	Finding the Edge

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jen425](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jen425/gifts).



"Fives, with me."

Fives follows at his General's back as he leaves the hangar bay. He moves with a persistence that keeps others from doing much more than nodding in greeting; it's not unlike when a Commander is prowling through the ship's corridors with a destination in mind and the shinies throw up a reflexive salute.

He doesn't know what has the General worked up, though. The _Resolute_ has returned to Coruscant a little bruised, but unbeaten, and they've got the next few days to unwind and refuel before heading back out to the front. He's looking forward to hitting up 79's and, if he's lucky, spending some of his down time alone and in private with Anakin.

It takes Fives a second to register that his General has led him to an empty room and sealed the door behind them. "Sir?"

His General shakes his head, a faint smile curling his mouth. "Anakin," he corrects, which means that if there was any surveillance in this room, it's not on now.

"Anakin," Fives echoes, stepping forward until he can lean up and press a quick kiss to that smiling mouth. "I didn't think you had a lot of time before reporting to the High Council."

"I don't," Anakin says apologetically. "But we made it back to Coruscant in time, so I have a bit of a surprise for you."

Fives raises an eyebrow in question. "What kind of surprise?"

"A good one, I hope," Anakin says while revealing a datachip with an odd logo Fives feels he's seen before. "This has a ticket and access codes to get you into one of the private boxes of the Galaxies Opera House tonight."

It takes Fives a second to remember where he's seen that name before - it's one of the larger buildings in the Uscru District, but he's never tried going inside. He's only ever seen it in passing; given the kinds of patrons it seems to attract, he had never thought it would be as welcoming to Clones as 79's was. Still, there's a little thrill in the pit of his stomach at the idea of going.

"Depending on how long the Council meeting takes, I should still be able to get there before the show starts," Anakin continues, "And Padmé will be there, too, so if anyone tries to give you any trouble just comm her."

"Padmé?" Fives asks, a little startled.

Anakin scrubs a hand over his face. "Yeah, I had meant to give you more of a heads up about this, sorry-"

"No, it's fine," Fives says, and he means it. He likes his General's wife. Not enough to want to have sex with her, but she's competent and friendly and she loves Anakin with a fierceness he can respect. It's not exactly what he had in mind, but he can roll with it. The idea of spending an evening with his General and his General's wife and getting to _relax_ with them is appealing. "Is there some kind of a dress code?" He doesn't have anything that would conceal him as a glitterati, but he could probably dig up something to wear that wasn't his dress uniform or his armor.

Anakin's eyes flit up and down his body, a heat to his gaze that warms Fives' cheeks. "Nah," Anakin says, and then reaches up to unclip his cloak. He lets it shrug down to his elbows and then spins the cloth in a movement that leaves it hanging from Fives' shoulders. "Just keep this on in the lobby and no one will notice."

"Jedi cloaks render Clones invisible now?" Fives asks dryly.

"They'll notice the cloak and think you're a Jedi on Jedi business, so long as you don't linger. It's when you linger that you need to worry - they'll assume you have time to talk."

The chrono on Anakin's wrist chimes, and he sends it a nasty look.

"Right." Fives lets out a long breath. "So I'll see you in a bit?"

"As fast as I can get away." Anakin presses a softer, more lingering kiss to his mouth. His chrono chimes again, and Anakin pulls away regretfully, turning to leave with his back straight and eyes forward.

Fives waits for a breath before following, giving him just enough time to fold up Anakin's cloak. He'll wear it like Anakin suggested, but only _after_ he's left the Temple. There's no point in borrowing trouble.

Outside, he hails a speeder and makes his way across Coruscant, the neon lights blurring as he whips by. He hasn't spent a lot of time in the upper levels of Uscru District, so it's hard to say whether it's more ostentatious than the lower levels - the neon signs aren't as large or glaring, but the architecture is ridiculous.

Without the neon signs to guide him, though, he would need a holomap to find his way to the opera house. Thankfully, the taxi driver knows it well enough. They drop him close enough to the entrance that he can make it there without a problem, but far enough away that he can scope out the place on the walk up.

Anakin was right - no one calls out to him when he's walking with a purpose, the slightly oversized Jedi cloak hiding his dress uniform without a problem. Instead of one of the uniformed Pantoran men working the lobby, Fives walks up towards one of the delicately designed droids, proffering the datachip Anakin had given him.

It is scanned before he can even ask. "This way please, sir," the droid chirps, lifting itself to swoop past a curving line of patrons trying to obtain a ticket. A few of them glance at him, but just as quickly look away.

He follows the droid into a turbolift, and they ascend with a quiet hum. From there it's a short walk to a private box, where the droid buzzes the door open before gliding back towards the turbolift.

"Good evening, Fives," Senator Amidala greets him with a smile. She's already laid claim to one of the seats closer to the edge of the balcony, a datapad in her hand and a stylus in the other, and is reviewing what looks to be a record of this morning's senate minutes.

"'Evening, Senator," he returns, looking around the room. There's a small table with a tray of finger foods already laid out and two rows of seats that have an excellent view of the stage.

"Padmé, please," she reminds him.

"'Evening, Padmé," Fives corrects himself. She's fairly relaxed about the respect owed to her position, especially in comparison to some of the _other_ Senators he's met, but he likes it when she gives him permission to call her by name. They share a lover and they're friendly. But he's never quite sure what counts as public and what doesn't given the kinds of everyday monitoring that he _knows_ the Coruscant Guard watches. This must count as private. "How was your day?"

"Frustrating, but no more than usual," she answers. "The only bright part of my schedule was getting to come here tonight. I knew Chancellor Palpatine had a private box, but I hadn't realized he'd offered Ani the ability to use it."

"Oh," Fives says, surprised, something in him warming as he realizes that Anakin had set this up himself instead of Padmé arranging it and then consenting to his presence. "I thought it was yours. For, you know, Senator business."

Padmé laughs. "I tend to conduct my Senatorial business elsewhere," she confides. "I haven't been to the Galaxies Opera House on my own since before I became a senator. It was a very pleasant surprise for Ani to make all of the arrangements."

"I don't even know what we're seeing," Fives admits. "Anakin didn't have enough time to tell me."

Padmé pats at the seat beside her. "Well, you're in for a treat then. Senator Chuchi has been excited about the Pantoran Revue coming to Coruscant for months. They're apparently going to do some zero-g dancing as well, which is unusual for Pantoran troupes."

"That does sounds interesting," Fives says, sitting on the seat next to her and look out over the dark stage.

Padmé puts her datapad aside to engage him more directly. "How have you been? It feels like the 501st hasn't been on Coruscant in months."

"Four, but who's counting." He relents, though, and tells her what he can about their last campaign. She values information about the front and where she can try to send help from the Senate. Somehow they segue into a conversation about some of the more spicy foods they've tried, and end up ordering another selection plate of appetizers to eat during the pre-show.

They're halfway through the second plate when the door to the private box slides open, admitting his General. His hair is still tousled by the trip from the Temple to the Opera House, and he clearly hasn't stopped by his quarters to find another cloak. But the line of his shoulders relaxes as he takes in the two of them sitting together, a smile turning the corners of his mouth up.

Anakin swoops down for a hug, the breadth of his arms easily encompassing them both. As much as he was expecting it, Fives can't help but give a little grunt of surprise at the force behind it, one that is echoed by Padmé. They share a glance of commiseration over Anakin's broad shoulders, but settle into the embrace happily.

"Rough day?" Padmé asks, tucking a curl of Anakin's hair back behind his ear.

"No more than usual," Anakin replies, which strikes Fives as amusing, considering how Padmé replied to him earlier. Absently, he wonders if he is picking up mannerisms from his General as well.

"Did the High Council actually finish the meeting or did you make a run for it?" Fives asks.

Anakin lets out a sharp bark of laughter. "The meeting finished. They're sending the 501st back out the day after tomorrow - there's been Separatist movement in the Chommell sector."

Padmé freezes. "Why haven't I heard of this?"

"I don't know. If it's any consolation, it doesn't seem to be near the Naboo system."

"That's a very thin consolation, Anakin."

"I know," Anakin agrees wearily. "I'll let you know as soon as I know more."

"Should we leave?" Fives asks. Any disappointment he has about missing the show is overshadowed by the fact that there is work to do.

"No. I've let Yularen and Rex know, but I had sent in the order for the _Resolute_ before we hit atmo. More bodies can't help restock the ship when we've only got a limited number of shuttles. We're far overdue for shore leave, and I'm not going to ask anyone to give up what we still have left."

"Well then," Padmé says, shaking her head and clearly boxing away her worry for Naboo. She compartmentalizes as well as any solider. Absently, Fives wonders what she would have been like as a General. "Let's enjoy the evening, shall we?"

Anakin nods, sitting between Padmé and Fives and curling his arms around their lower backs to pull them in closer. "That's exactly what I had in mind."


End file.
